So I just Purchased Voigtlander Plate Camera

[trittium]

I just purchased a Voigtlander plate camera. It was one of those take a chance auctions where you have no idea what you are actually purchasing. From the back this looks like an Alpin, but I don't really have any idea. The plates look kind of long, I am hoping it is a stereo. Do you have any speculations?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300095260682&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:12

I figured it was a great price for a old german camera in great condition with backs, ground glass, and a case.

 

[Abbazz]

I just purchased a Voigtlander plate camera. It was one of those take a chance auctions where you have no idea what you are actually purchasing. From the back this looks like an Alpin, but I don't really have any idea. The plates look kind of long, I am hoping it is a stereo. Do you have any speculations?

Nice catch, Matt. The bellows and lens are not shown on the auction photographs. Who knows, you could get a free Heliar with your junk camera 😀

It's difficult to determine the exact model by looking at the poor photographs on eBay, because Voigtlander made many different plate cameras that looked very much alike and only differed by some minute details. It could be a 6.5x9 Avus, a folding camera with double extension bellows which usually comes with an f/4.5 Skopar or f/6.3 Voigtar lens. As it was not a high-end model, it was never equipped with a Heliar lens 🙁

Here's a picture of a 6.5x9 Avus courtesy of Keh.com:

Cheers,

Abbazz

 

[trittium]

I was wondering which old voigtlander lenses were good. I have an Alpin with a Collinear Lens. Is that a desirable lens?

 

[Abbazz]

I was wondering which old voigtlander lenses were good. I have an Alpin with a Collinear Lens. Is that a desirable lens?

The collinear is a 3+3 symmetrical anastigmat lens, very similar to the Steinheil Orthostigmat. According to the Lens Collector's Vademecum, "Users say that the performance is very good, but that the color correction can be less good than other types, and the faster series may lack ultimate sharpness." The "other types" mentioned here are certainly the fabled Goertz Dagor, also a 3+3 symmetrical anastigmat. The Collinear was offered by Voigtlander as early as 1895, or 5 years before the release of the Heliar.

I don't have a Collinear, so I cannot comment on its optical quality. But I have many other symmetrical anastigmat lenses dating from the same period and they are usually good performers if used stopped down to f/11 at least. Like most of the lenses from this period, "fast" apertures (like f/6.3 😉 ) were only used for focusing.

Usually, people consider that the best lens ever released by Voigtlander is the Apo-Lanthar, a 5 element lens released after WWII on some very high-end cameras. The Heliar is the same optical design, but doesn't contain rare earth special glass like the Apo-Lanthar. I have many Heliar lenses in various focal length and they are always great performers. The soft and mellow rendering of out of focus areas is the trademark of the Heliar.

Cheers,

Abbazz

 

[trittium]

Thanks for all the wonderful information. I never knew this before